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I have a little problem. I'm addicted to cookbooks, food writing, recipe collecting, and cooking. I have a lot of recipes waiting for me to try them, and ideas from articles, tv, and restaurants often lead to new dishes. I started losing track of what I've done. So now I'm taking photos and writing about what I've prepared—unless it's terrible in which case I forget it ever happened.

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Monday, June 15, 2009

I’ve admitted to being somewhat chocolate-ambivalent, but I think it’s more likely a matter of schizophrenia. When given a dessert menu, I probably won’t select a chocolate option, but every once in a blue moon, I get inspired to bake with chocolate. A few years ago, I read Chocolate Obsession by Michael Recchiuti. I had no ambivalence about chocolate while reading this book. It contains one photo after the next of delectable-looking chocolate items. The second chapter is about truffles, and I was completely inspired by the infused ganaches. Earl grey, jasmine, lavender, and cardamom were some of the flavored ganaches suggested for making truffles. After reading this, I went on a truffle-tasting binge. Every time I passed a chocolate counter, I had to try various truffles and then spend some time daydreaming about making my own. Well, I never got around to switching to a career of truffle-making, but I finally did try the truffle cream filled chocolate cookies from that book.

The cookies themselves are simply chocolate shortbread made with cocoa powder. The recipe made a crumbly dough which needed to rest in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before being rolled. Once rolled into a thin sheet, the dough was cut into one and a half inch rounds. The baked rounds were then filled with a rich chocolate truffle cream made from 65 percent cacao chocolate, heavy cream, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. I actually went to the trouble of putting the truffle cream in a piping bag so as to swirl it onto the sandwich cookie bottoms. Ordinarily, I run screaming from piping bags, but these petite cookies just begged for the added attention to detail. The sandwich tops were to have been dusted with cocoa powder, but I used the last of mine to make the cookie dough. Instead, I dusted the tops with espresso powder.

The cookies were sturdy but yielding. Bigger versions of them would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches. They had just the right amount of chocolate flavor, and I had to remind myself that they were meant to be filled and sandwiched and not just eaten out of hand. Thankfully, I restrained myself well enough to have plenty left to fill. Now, the highlight, the truffle cream, was ridiculous. It was silky and richly chocolaty and maintained a lightness even after the finished cookies had sat in the refrigerator overnight. I’m already planning alternate flavor infusions for the ganache for the next time I make this truffle cream to fill cookies. Although, I may have to spend some time perusing the book’s chocolate drinks chapter or the ice cream chapter before I make it back to the cookies for a second time.

I'm like you. I'm not much of a chocolate lover. I never got why ppl raved over brownies and chocolate ice cream. But occasionally I do crave chocolates, and looking at these gorgeous pics is suddenly giving me some truffle craving too...

clearly, that filling looks like absolute decadence and most definitely would have to be squirted directly into my mouth, at least at first. i suppose, if i find the strength, a bit of it could go between two cookies. :)

I've had a fierce chocolate craving lately -- these look just about perfect. I'm not sure mine would ever make it to sandwich status though -- too tempting to eat as they come off the tray. If I did manage a sammich, the other half of my household would definitely vote for the ice cream version.

"When given a dessert menu, I probably won’t select a chocolate option, but . . . I get inspired to bake with chocolate. " I'm the same way! I consider myself a bit of a chocoholic, but when out and about, I usually opt for other flavors.

It's just as well that I'll need to find this book in order to get the truffle recipe. Otherwise, I'd be rummaging through the kitchen and making dash to the store so that I can make it ASAP! These are unbelievably delicious-looking!